Tuesday, January 24, 2012

We sat down w/ the legendary Kool Herc and spoke to him about his history and the state of Hip Hop..
He gave us an indepth run down of Hip Hop in the early days. He speaks about the early party scene and talks about how he and sister Cindy made history when they threw a back to school party at 1520 Sedgwick Ave in the Bronx.
He talks about how he used to be a grafitti artist and how his sister had his back and sheilded him from the wrath of his strict father who would've whupped that butt if he knew his son was defacing New York City property.
Kool Herc also lets us know that Hip Hop did not start in the South Bronx as is often erroneously reported. Herc never lived in the South Bronx, he lived in the West bronx which is a totally different area.
In this interview Kool Herc talks about his Jamaican background. He talks about how he grew up in the same township as Bob Marley and he explains how and why Jamaican culture is an important root within Hip Hop.
One important aspect of Jamaican culture Herc speaks to us about is the sound system. In this interview he talks about the type of equipment he used and why he named it the Herculords.
What was really fascinating in this sit down, was hearing Herc go into detail about the different clubs and parties he threw. He describes the clientele which ranged from some of New York's most notorious sharp dressing mob type gangstas to high school kids from the projects around the way.
Herc gives us a run down of his playlist and talks about his approach for keeping the crowd satisfied. He speaks about his early deejay battles most notably with Pete DJ Jones. He also talks about the importance of funk music and bands like the Incredible Bongo Band.
Herc cocncludes this first segment by talking about Hip Hop's early emcees including his own crew member Coke La Rock. Herc also talks about his other crew members including Timmy Tim.
He talks about the role DJ Hollywood played in Hip Hop. He also gives major praise to Mele-Mel and his brother Kid Creole for inventing the style of rap we all embrace to this day.